Thank you, Auremorn for the feedback. I’m very glad that you enjoyed reading it.

Thank you for reading, David. It is a big and wide subject (and complex too), but debating the underlying issues and stumble blocks might help us to see potential solutions – and essentially it helps us identify our own resistance to changing our ways, from a life-style point of view.

I think for me the key issue is that there are many, many, many more people than corporations – corporations won’t start caring – because it’s not “in their nature” to do so, so we are wasting our time to expect them to start doing that, but WE (the collective) have the capacity to care(more) – and as we can see in the case of the mass consumption of electronic goods worldwide (the main subject of this article) – in the face of various environmental crises, we can come to the conclusion that there is “a democratic decision” by the consumer masses to go off the cliff, all together (like lemmings) – as long as they can go out while having some fun… (not unlike the people partying on the Titanic) – and I think we can apply the same rule to car drivers who insist on driving even if they can take public transport.

We are the people we have been waiting for… to become more responsible.

Yes, there are lots of ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. Corporate greed is hard for me to talk about after working in banking 20+ years – the stories I could tell…

You make a very good point, Debra (I can relate). What
about corporate responsibility? My answer would beto –
as far as possible – support small local shops or to buy
at the markets – if they exist in your area – and in that way
to support the local community. I know that’s not always
possible – sometimes the only store in the area is a large
supermarket or shopping centre. Corporations don’t have (human)
ethics, so it’s best to buy from humans. It is also true that
people who are just making ends meet, or those who just bring
enough home to pay the bills and buy food, without nothing left,
are not in a position to be more responsible than what they already
are. But, I think in terms of buying electronic devices and
replacing them as soon as new models are launched – and considering
the environmental impact – this isan area where we can choose to be
more responsible. In terms of food, there are some other options
too – people with a small patch of land or a bit of garden space
can grow some vegetables. Unfortunately due to so many people
living in cities it can be very hard to live differently from
everyone else – and the infrastructure doesn’t really allow it.
But, in the cities people can be more responsible by using public
transport (as much as possible)instead of taking their cars,
or try to reduce their waste or improve their recycling. Every
bit helps – each person can just do whatever they can within
their own personal context. That’s the best we can do, but it
is important that we try to do something. And on weekends
we can go out and plant some trees – to help the atmosphere
to breath better – I’ve heard this is one of the best options
we have to help the offset the carbon. I fully understand
your frustration though, because the average people like us
are always expected to take responsibility and be concerned
while the rest and especially the better-offs party like there
is no tomorrow. Generally the problem is that just not enough
people care about these issues.

In Lak’ech,
Jacques

Debra

“But when you think about it, society is just the sum of our individual actions”. – Excellently summarised in one sentence, Josh (compared to my 4000 words).
It’s such a simple concept. Thank you for reading and contributing to the discussion!
Jacques

It seems to me that it’s a common reaction to blame “society” for the shortcomings of the world. But when you think about it, society is just the sum of our individual actions. All of these things which seem to be so powerful: money, political structures, hierarchies; only have power because enough people choose to act in ways that make them real. Power is not some tangible physical force, but the result of social consensus. Therefore if we want to change “society’s” value systems, then all we need is for enough people to begin acting differently. We don’t need to wait for our elected officials to pass some sweeping legislation (although that would certainly help!), we can start acting in more socially responsible ways with or without their blessing.